


Out of magic and will (smoke and bone)

by boybeaulieu



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, M/M, andrew and matt as badass special agents, neil as a sarcastic little witch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-07 16:04:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13438314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boybeaulieu/pseuds/boybeaulieu
Summary: Andrew wasn’t surprised when he heard his voice, smooth, soft and low. He was still staring at the boy in awe when the money in his hands suddenly disappeared.“It’s magic, you kno-ow…” he sang quietly hopping on the desk next to Mary, a cheeky grin on his red lips.“What is it? Lana Del Rey again?”“Nah, much better.” The boy replied ironically. “Never watched Disney Channel?”“I just thought people like you wouldn’t enjoy the Wizards of Waverly Place that much.”orThe magic AU where everyone's running against the clock to stop Amnesia, Andrew has no intention of falling for Neil's spells and Neil is not casting any.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!  
> I've been thinking of Neil as a tricky, sharp, sarcastic witch for some time, so here it is! The story will be from Andrew's POV, but he's an older version of himself, with years of therapy at his back and healed scars. There's not much else to say except beware the warnings (Neil has a past and present of prostitution in this fic).  
> Enjoy :)

_Hold your memory for a moment with a blind hand_  
_Write some stories for tomorrow_  
_From the bottle of Amnesia_  
_Find instructions, to salvation, to oblivion, supreme_

_Dust it off, The Dø_

I

“Alright, have you got everything?”

“Yes, I need Boyd to give me those Magnolia bullets he bought yesterday.”

Kevin sighed, his thin t-shirt fluttered in the chilly October breeze clinging to his muscular torso, the coffee stain under his left rib seemed less evident now that the sun was starting to fall and the dark was starting to rise.

“Look, Minyard, you have to be careful out there-“

“No, save your voice, little raven. I know what I’m doing and where I’m going. Spare me the warnings.”

Cold hands almost fell heavy on Andrew’s shoulders, but Kevin Day knew better. What was a light breeze became now proper wind, blowing between the young men’s bodies, scattering those orange leaves of early Autumn.

“Minyard,” another sigh “you have no idea who you’re going to meet there… _what_ you’re going to meet. I am the only one who has ever talked to one of them and trust me when I tell you to be careful.”

Andrew took a step back, but his next words were interrupted by the silhouette of another man running loudly towards them.

“I’ve got ‘em!”

A smirk pulled at the corners of Andrew’s mouth while the running guy finally came to a stop at his partner’s side.

“Ready?” asked Andrew casting a quick look to Kevin. whose face showed a mixture between worry and annoyance.

“I was born ready, man.”

Boyd’s smile was the contagious type: spread wide on his face, it could pull you in and make you part of that happy aura that seemed to always encompass Boyd and all of his moves. Well, it would be the contagious type if only Andrew Minyard was capable of feeling anything at all.

“We’re off, then. We’ll be back tomorrow morning, maybe earlier. Hopefully earlier.”

And with those last words, the two of them began to walk towards the black car parked on the side of Hemingway Street, guns kept carefully under the waistband of their jeans.

“For God’s sake, Minyard!

The man in question turned around, scorn evident on his features.

“What now, Day?”

Kevin let out a choked scream, his hands closed in tight fists.

“Be careful!”

“Never. Bye.”

 

II

Some people say it hits you the moment you take a step in the neighborhood, others say it happens when you catch the eye of one of them for the first time, some others say it’s when you begin to smell the scents floating among the neon lights and the quiet music. Well, to be honest Andrew had been walking the streets of Madriver for half an hour and he still didn’t feel a damn thing. He had never been there before, in Madriver, and it wasn’t that people never went there or tried to avoid the neighborhood. Actually, it wasn’t odd seeing humans wandering between the old shops and shacks: most people came there to buy. There were many things you could buy in Madriver. So it wasn’t odd, but it wasn’t legal, either.

“Boyd.”

A mumble came from Andrew’s right (that’s how they worked, Andrew on the left and Boyd on the right. Always together since they were eighteen and had joined the police formative program).

“What do they say about the neighborhood again?”

Boyd didn’t answer for a few minutes, the only sound lingering in the air was an old Elton John song. They were in the main street, shops with half broken windows or doors on each side, the lights coming from those floating spheres above them colored the asphalt pink and red and purple and blue. Finally, Boyd stopped observing the neon signs above every shop and turned to Andrew with a small smile that looked more like a grimace, dark eyes slightly clouded.

“It’s a sense of nostalgia. I’ve been feeling it ever since we stepped in here, haven’t you?”

“No.” A pause “No, I haven’t. “

“Well, it’s... it’s okay.” He wanted to say normal, _it’s normal for you_ , and he could have. It’s not like Andrew didn’t know himself, but Boyd had always had his ways. Kindness, he called it. “We still haven’t met anyone of their kind and they say that’s one of the triggers.”

Andrew sighed, putting his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans. The point was exactly that, though: _where was everyone?_ He saw humans, but didn’t bother to stop them and give them the fine they deserved because he wasn’t there for that, he was there because of _Amnesia._ What he didn’t see, were _them_. He heard some noise coming from the shops, most of the time it was moaning (everyone knew that you cold get _that_ too in Madriver), but he still hadn’t seen anyone. It was odd and a bit scary, he supposed, but Andrew Minyard didn’t know scary, not anymore at least.

“That’s what is worrying me.”

“Nah, man, I think it’s normal. They probably stay indoors all damn day long.”

“You think so?”

“Mh-hm. What would you expect form them?”

“Maybe you’re right, maybe you’re not.”

So they kept advancing, their heels made soft thuds meeting the pavement and everything seemed quiet. There was a strange tranquility in the neighborhood, it was supposed to be all music and yelling and warm bodies crashing into other warm bodies, or at least that’s what Andrew had always pictured it. Apparently, he had been wrong.

“Kevin said that we have to turn left when we reach ‘Inka’s Bookshop’.” Whispered Boyd, narrowing his eyes in search of the right sign. Andrew didn’t understand why he wasn’t talking with a normal tone, but he guessed that it was another collateral effect of _the feeling_.

“Meaning right there.”

Andrew pointed to the small building a few meters in front of them, the letters on top of the front door were a sparkly blue, but the ‘n’ in _Inka’s_ must have short-circuited because from afar you could only read _Ika’s._ Boyd spotted the narrow alley beside the shop but Andrew stopped him before he could even make a step towards the side of _Inka’s._

“Wait, let’s check before.”

“Check what? There’s nothing to be afraid of in Madriver, people come here all the time. Are you really listening to Kevin?”

Andrew sighed, the hand he had rested on the handle of his gun, still under his waistband, returned in his pocket.

“You’re right. I simply didn’t think it would be like this.”

“What did you imagine?” laughed Boyd starting to move across the street to reach the green alley, the lights above it must have been badly enchanted because the color never changed.

“I don’t know. I thought it would be louder.”

“Louder?”

“Yes. Witches and Shadows here and there, music blasting, people yelling. It’s quiet.”

Boyd watched him confused and slightly amused while they kept walking on the green pavement, now they could see the end of the alley: a simple house, two stories and a broken window.

“Well, I think it’s better quiet, don’t you?”

“Mh.”

Andrew observed intently the house in front of him, there was no garden before the front door, the walls were scraped and the broken window was signaled by two stripes of red tape forming an ‘x’.

“Anyway, we’re here. Are you ready?” He asked turning his attention to Boyd, who already had his gun out.

“No, put that back. We don’t want to scare them. We’ll try the non-violent way before.”

Boyd looked at him skeptically:

“Since when do you do that?”

Andrew did not bother answering and stared him down until, with an eye-roll, Boyd reposed his gun under his shirt and plastered on his face one of his best fake smiles.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

 

III

When he opened the door and stepped into the house, Andrew realized that his ideas must have been a bit confused, because he wasn’t expecting what he found. He had thought about weird aquariums, lots of lights and maybe even a little bit of gloom. What he found instead was a simple room with a desk right in front of the front door, it looked like a reception. The walls were bare and the parquet was made of dark wood, beside the long desk there was an open door that led to a flight of stairs. Some steps were missing. Everything was oddly normal, the lady behind the desk, though, was definitely not.

“Hello, welcome to _The Alchemist Lab,_ what can I do for you?”

She was scrolling down her phone, wild dark curls fell all over her back and down her face. Her dark blue tank top matched the colour of her nails and fell a bit too low down her chest. She still hadn’t looked up, but when she did it became clear why she belonged to the neighborhood.

“Oh, humans. I should have smelt you before, sorry. What can I do for you?” She asked again, her almond-shaped eyes were completely black, not an ounce of white. Andrew took a deep breath, he had to keep calm and stop sweating (she said she could _smell_ them!).

“We’re here for _Amnesia_.”

As soon as the words left Andrew’s mouth, the lady’s entire body went rigid. She pursed her lips, but her emotions were difficult to interpret when her eyes showed nothing but black.

“I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place. I don’t know what _Amnesia_ is.”

Andrew had hypothesized a situation like this one, he knew that it wasn’t going to be easy but that was the reason why the police department had sent them: they were the best.

“Look, I know you know about it. I know I can find it here and I know the price. What I don’t know is how to buy it and who sells it.”

He kept a slow and quiet tone, knowing better than to make a Shadow angry, but she shook her head again.

“I told you I know nothing about it.”

Andrew glanced quickly towards Boyd, but it was enough to spot his partner’s hand wrapped tightly around the handle of his gun. When Boyd turned his head to him, he shook faintly his own in a silent ‘don’t’. It wasn’t worth it.

“Alright, I’m sure you know someone who could help us, though.”

The girl shook her head once again and parted her bright pink lips to respond, but Andrew stopped her before the words could leave her mouth.

“I’m also sure you’d be interested in some aloe vera, wouldn’t you?”

She stilled, her grip on the edge of the counter tightened. Boyd started fishing through the items in his bag, probably looking for the small light-green bottle.

“I heard it’s rare here in Madriver and that it’s a useful ingredient for some of your… concoctions”

Andrew spat the last word noticing how the woman’s jaw was now set in a straight, tight line.

“It is.” She confirmed turning her attention to Boyd who had finally pulled out the bottle and was keeping it tauntingly between his thumb and index. She was torn, it was transparent on her features and Andrew could only hope she would agree to his proposition.

“There’s an old warehouse up north, ask for Mary.”

 

IV

Andrew had seen maps of Madriver before and he knew it was big, but he thought it was as big as a neighborhood could get. Turned out that ‘up north’ was a lot more distant than they thought. It was around eleven p.m. when they finally caught a glimpse of the warehouse, all grey walls and no windows. The front door was more of a fire exit, but the purple light that filtered through the crack under the heavy door was telling.

“That’s it.” Stated Andrew getting close to the entrance.

With a determined look on their faces, the two of them pushed the door open and entered the warehouse. First, it was the smell that hit them: a strong flowery scent lingered in the air, making the atmosphere heavy and a bit head-spinning. The room was spacious, high ceiling and concrete floor connected by numerous cylindrical columns. It was completely empty except for a red leather couch and a small glass table in front of it. Right there, seated on the couch, was a man.

As soon as he saw Andrew and Boyd he got to his feet and began walking towards them.

“Good evening, are you here for the eleven fifteen appointment?”

He was tall, the man. All muscles and a small head, but he didn’t show sign of any supernatural characteristic; well, neither did Witches. Andrew had been told, once, that when you saw a Witch you recognized her or him immediately: they were beautiful, that kind of beauty you cannot deny. Even so, they looked exactly like any other human, no black eyes or wings or claws.

“Actually, we’re here to meet Mary.”

The man kept silent, he watched them accurately, as if he was trying to read their minds. _Oh_ , thought Andrew.

“You’re humans.”

And that wasn’t a question, but Boyd answered it anyway.

“We are.”

“Who told you about Mary?”

Andrew was trying to find something to say very quickly, he had to, but he couldn’t lie if that man was what Andrew thought he was.

“We’re here for _Amnesia_.”

That seemed to make something click in the man’s head, the look on his face was pathetically giving him away.

“What do you want it for?”

“Work.” Replied easily Andrew, careful with his words.

“What kind of work?”

The agent let himself have a short, hollow laugh.

“Trust me, you’re better off not knowing.”

And with that, after a few minutes of thinking, the man turned on his heels and left the room with the promise of coming back and bringing Mary with him.

Saying that the woman was peculiar would be an understatement. She was petite, all frail body and delicate features, her huge eyes were literally sparkling. She seemed to be floating instead of walking, gracious steps light as falling feathers. When she stopped in front of Andrew, he couldn’t look away from her eyes, as if hypnotized.

“So, who are these gentlemen looking for me?”

She was so, so beautiful and, oddly enough, not even Andrew could deny it. Her blonde hair fell smoothly around her face, framing her slightly pink cheeks and sharp cheekbones.

“I’m Matt,” managed the agent, extending his hand “this is Andrew.” Mary stared at his hand, but didn’t make a move to shake it; instead, she took a step forward and pressed a light kiss on Boyd’s cheek, her slender fingers caressed almost imperceptibly his bicep.

“What can I do for you?” She asked, her voice soft and low. Andrew knew what she was, he had known since she first walked into the room and he had to get a grip, _damn it_. Witches were beautiful, seducing, addicting… and tricky.

“We want to ask you something,” he glanced quickly at the man on her left “in private.”

She was torn, two lines appeared on her forehead while she bit her extremely red bottom lip.

“Why?”

“ _Amnesia_.” Was the only thing Andrew said and apparently it was enough, the woman stilled, jaw set and her sparkly eyes suddenly freezing.

“Leave us alone.” She ordered the man, who left immediately. As soon as he was gone, Mary turned towards the two agents and let out a shaky breath.

“Who _are_ you? And how do you know about _Amnesia_?”

“Some friends told us about it. Look, we just want to know how to buy it.” Intervened Boyd.

The woman laughed, cold and dry.

“You can’t.”

“I’m sure we do.” Smiled unpleasantly Andrew, Mary’s eyes scanned his face with worry but her smirk remained intact.

“No, you can’t.”

Andrew was about to interrupt her but she was faster.

“It’s finished.”

“What?” Shock was evident on Boyd’s features, they knew for a fact that _Amnesia_ was in circulation. Hell, they had even arrested a man in possession of the substance a few hours before.

“Our storages are empty. We’ll have to wait ‘till the next full moon to start the new cycle.”

“Meaning…”

“To produce it. We have to wait almost three weeks to start the new production.”

So it was true, they had ran out of _Amnesia_ and this meant only one thing, thought Andrew: he could stop them before another wave of the substance hit the market. He had to.

“Actually,” he started taking a step forward “that’s what I’m interested in. I want to meet who produces it.”

This time, when Mary laughed, it was incredulous, almost maniacal.

“Yeah, sure. As if…” she stopped herself, another small laugh escaping her plump lips.

“So, if I said Hatford… does the name tell you something?”

She stilled once again and her expression turned stony, but Andrew could spot the clouds behind her eyes.

“Of course it does. _I_ am Mary, Mary Hatford.”

She was… she was part of the family. She was part of one of the most powerful families of Witches in Madriver, the one that was in control of the market and, in conclusion, one of the biggest dealers of _Amnesia_. This was what they had been looking for.

“So you don’t mind me asking some questions?”

She laughed again.

“Of course I do, I don’t know who you are and why you want _Amnesia_.”

“We want to export it, okay? It’s functional, it’s rare and it sells. We want to spread it in other countries.”

Lies, lies, lies. Only lies, part of the job. Mary stared at them in disbelief, her hard expression crumbling bit by bit.

“Come with me.”

And with that, she took Boyd’s hand and walked out the door in silence.

 ***

There was a short building in front of the warehouse, only three floors and a few windows. Two were broken. Around it, the floating spheres were radiating a deep red color while some languid Lana Del Rey’s song played softly. The sign on the roof was made of small intermittent golden lights, but they weren’t coordinated and it was impossible to read what the sign was supposed to say in the deep blue of the night. They followed Mary into the building and up two flights of stairs, when she finally stopped Andrew realized they were in a medium sized room. It was empty except for a desk and a few chairs. On the left there was a door and all Andrew could hear were the noises coming from there.

“Fuck, right there!”

“Damn, you’re so tight baby.”

Andrew tried to ignore the words and the moaning, turning his back to the door to sit in front of the desk.

“Oh, ignore them. I reckon they must be almost done.”

As if on cue, the door opened revealing a bald fifty-something man in a half-buttoned suit with a prominent beer belly. The man stopped at the door and turned around, Andrew craned his neck trying to see what was happening. Behind the man there was a boy, he must have been barely legal and he was terribly, terribly familiar. Huge eyes and plump, swollen red lips; sharp cheekbones and red cheeks. He was quite short, with skinny limbs and an even skinnier torso. He was wearing only boxers so that his prominent hipbones and collarbones were on display, multiples bruises littered his skin: big ones on his thighs, hips and arms, smaller ones on his torso and neck. Then, the scars. The man smoothed the boy’s blonde hair while his right hand left some cash under the waistband of his boxers. The boy left a light kiss on the corner of the man’s mouth and, finally, he left with a nod towards Mary.

“Was he good?” Asked the woman. Andrew turned his head, confused, before realizing she was talking to the blond boy who was counting the notes in his hands. He looked up, directly into Andrew’s eyes and that was when he noticed how similar he and Mary were. The boy kept staring at him, lips lightly parted and a curious expression on his face. He was so, so beautiful. When he snapped out of it, he lifted his gaze and shrugged. Andrew heard Mary let out an exasperated sigh.

“Words, please.” She spit annoyed, but they boy seemed unfazed. There was something about him, something… dead, empty. _Takes one to know one_ , Andrew reminded himself.

“He’s one of the rough ones. No big deal.”

Andrew wasn’t surprised when he heard his voice, smooth, soft and low. He was still staring at the boy in awe when the money in his hands suddenly disappeared. Andrew heard a gasp leave Boyd’s lips and the blond boy chuckled walking towards them.

“It’s magic, you kno-ow…” he sang quietly hopping on the desk next to Mary, a cheeky grin on his red lips.

“What is it? Lana Del Rey again?” Asked Andrew tilting his head on the right, his eyes never leaving the boy’s big, grey ones.

“Nah, much better.” The boy replied ironically “Never watched Disney Channel?”

“I just thought people like you wouldn’t enjoy the Wizards of Waverly Place that much.”

The boy laughed, loud and pleasant.

“I like this one. “ He turned to Mary “Who is he?”

“Not someone interested in you, Neil. Sadly.”

The boy, Neil, turned his attention to Andrew once again, his lips stretched in a small smile but his eyes stayed dull. That was maybe the only thing distinguishing him from Mary, her sparkly eyes seemed to posses all the life that once belonged to Neil’s ones.

“Too bad.” He whispered while Mary exhaled loudly one more time. Saying Andrew was intrigued by the boy sat carelessly in front of him would be an understatement: it was evident that he and Mary were related, but even though they were so similar, scarily similar, there was undeniably something different about them and Andrew was more than sure that something was off with Neil. Under the cheeky smiles, the blonde hair and sharp bones darkness was lurking, trying to break free from those dull eyes.

“So, you’re a…” Andrew knew that Boyd was trying to make it sound non-offensive, but sometimes kindness was not the right approach. “Um, a prostitute?”

Neil’s smile widened, amusement clear on his face. _What was so funny?_

“Yeah, I’m a whore.” He answered, his grin never faltered. And well, that was something. Andrew felt his stomach twist and his breath quicken slightly, but he was twenty-five and he’d had a lot of time with Bee to learn how to control himself.

“Don’t mind him,” cut in Mary, annoyed expression and slender fingers intertwined accurately on her lap “he just likes to whine. Now, if you’ll excuse us, Neil, we have business to discuss.”

There, for the first time, Andrew saw something behind the boy’s eyes. A small spark, a flicker of anger. And why would someone blame him? Being a hooker isn’t exactly one’s dream, is it? But that something special, that hopeful fire died down almost immediately and Neil’s smile reappeared when he jumped off the desk as gracious as Andrew had predicted.

“I’ll leave you to it, then.”

And with that, he disappeared again behind that door before Andrew could even open his mouth and say something. But what would he have said? ‘No, stay here, I want to figure you out _._ ’ _Yes, that would sound good, Andrew, definitely._

“So, what about our deal?” started Mary just as Neil stepped out of the room. If Andrew had been almost infatuated with Mary before, now all her charm and mystery were long gone, she wasn’t that appealing anymore. Andrew could recognize cruel.

“Who said we already have a deal?” replied Boyd with a hint of annoyance in his deep voice. The woman laughed breathily, eyes sparkling now more than ever. She was about to say something, Andrew saw her lips parting but no sound came out of it. Time seemed to freeze completely for a few seconds, her mouth stayed open and pain washed over her face. Her body stilled completely for a moment; no sound, no movement. Then, her deep grey eyes widened impossibly and she let out an ear-piercing scream. She brought her hands to her head, tugging at her hair while the scream kept resounding throughout the room. Andrew was observing her, shocked. His eyes couldn’t leave her small frame convulsing on the floor where she had just fallen, he could only hear her voice, her scream. Then, after what felt like hours, he felt his arm being shaken and turned around to find Neil tugging at his sleeve, Boyd waiting by the window. The boy was saying something, shouting it. There was fear behind his eyes while his red lips moved trying to talk to Andrew, but he couldn’t hear anything. He couldn’t get up, couldn’t think.

“We have to leave!”

It hit him like a wave, all the sounds echoing in the room, Neil’s hands and his nails scratching his arm. He was _touching_ him and he needed to stop.

“Hurry up!”

He got up suddenly, pushing the boy away just to shelter him behind his back a few seconds later, when a loud noise came from the stairs and the door burst open.

“Give me your hand, now.” Whispered Neil, panic evident on his features. Andrew was reluctant, touch was not given or received easily for him, however he had no other choice but obeying and managed to see Neil’s other hand held by Boyd before everything went black.

 

V

When he woke up, Andrew could only see light, a blinding white light coming from a small window. After a few seconds his eyes finally got used to the brightness so he sat up and looked around trying to remember where he was and why. The events of the previous night came back all at once. Mary and her –her brother? The warehouse. _Amnesia_. What had happened to Mary? What had happened after he fainted?

“Oh, you’re up. Thank God.”

Andrew turned around quickly, behind him Neil was sitting on the floor under the window, a book in his hands.

“What’s going on?”

He looked around some more but there was no trace of Boyd.

“Where’s the other guy I was with?”

Neil sighed deeply and placed the book beside his thigh.

“Matt woke up hours ago, he’s out. I wanted some breakfast.”

“You what?”

Neil rolled his eyes, and pushed himself up just to sit back down on the bed next to Andrew.

“Last night, some people tried to break into the house. Bad people. They did that thing to my –to Mary, to distract her.”

Andrew narrowed his eyes, there was something wrong with Neil, something that seemed a lot like fear.

“They managed to get in, so I brought us here. It’s my old house, south of Madriver.”

“Wait, how did you do it? I fainted and Madriver is huge and-“

Andrew stopped as soon as he saw Neil’s smirk, the boy snapped his fingers and a small flame appeared between his thumb and index.

“It’s magic, you know.” Whispered Neil, cheeky smile persistent on his face.

 ***

They must have spent a few hours in the house before Boyd came back, carrying a bag filled with cups of coffee and some croissants, their sweet smell lingering in the air even after they ate them all. Andrew couldn’t help but keep his gaze fixed on the blond boy, he didn’t trust him, not one bit. The thing was: you didn’t trust a Witch, especially after everything that had happened the night before, they didn’t simply sit and pleasantly chatter with your friend like Neil was doing now. However, he also couldn’t deny that Neil had saved their lives, a Witch didn’t do that either. Andrew needed answers and he was hell bent on making the boy talk. He was a special agent, after all, making a Witch talk shouldn’t be a problem and he wasn’t that reluctant to use violence when needed. Except that, well, this blond, magic, doe-eyed, smart-mouthed kid seemed completely harmless sitting on the sofa with crumbs in his lap and a coffee mustache above his lips. Andrew had to remind himself of what he was dealing with, though, he couldn’t dwell on those trembling hands and those whispered, shaky words. He couldn’t flinch at the sight of bruised skin, countless scars and void, gray eyes. He had a job and he would go through with it, no matter what.

“So, Blondie,” started Andrew “care to explain what the fuck happened last night?”

Neil stilled, his sentence left unfinished. Sat in front of him, Boyd looked annoyed at the interruption.

“I’ve already told you.” Replied the boy. “Bad people came into-“

“I know you ‘told me already’,” cut him short Andrew, gesturing abruptly “but I want an explanation, a _real_ explanation. Which means I want to know who, why and how.”

Neil didn’t look taken aback by Andrew’s harsh tone. He sat calm and languid on the bed, regarding him owlishly from under dark, thick eyelashes with those huge, shockingly gray –

“Stop that.” Spat out Andrew, adverting his gaze in hope that whatever trick Neil was playing on him would fall flat and that warm tug in his belly would vanish.

“I’m not doing anything.”

“My ass, you’re not.” Replied Andrew, risking a glance at the boy. If Neil had looked confused just after Andrew’s accusation, now there was a curious, knowing expression on his face. Ever-present smirk.

“Whatever, think what you want.”

Of course Andrew would think what he wanted, he was _right_. Wasn’t he? Everyone knew Witches liked to toy with lust and desire and- and he was right, full stop. The agent shook his head, trying to concentrate on the more pressing issue.

“We were talking about last night.” He reminded Neil, tone still hostile.

“We were, indeed.”

That damn smirk, Andrew swore he would rip it off his face if the boy didn’t stop throwing it around every five seconds, making Andrew feel like everything he thought even for a fleeting moment, Neil could sense. For all that he’d been awkward and tongue-tied at seeing the Witch for the first time, enchanted by his beauty and allure, now Andrew could not help but be deeply, deeply annoyed by the kid. In the meantime, Boyd had been observing quietly which was pretty much uncharacteristic, so when he spoke up Andrew was not surprised.

“Look, Neil, the reason we need to know in detail about those people is because we want to stop them, whatever they are doing. We are the good guys, I promise. We want to help you.”

Thinking about it, Andrew was surprised indeed.

“I don’t need help!” Burst out Blondie and at that Andrew arched an eyebrow. The more he looked at him, the more he seemed like a petulant child with trust issues.

“Don’t you?” Pressed Andrew.

“Do I need to remind you it was _me_ who helped _you_? If it wasn’t for me you’d be dead, cut to pieces and fed to a Hound by now.”

That, they could not deny. However, Andrew wasn’t known for his kind words and open heart.

“The way I see it, Blondie-”

“Will you stop calling me tha-“

“-you are nothing but a scared child-prostitute, encouraged by your own family to sell your body, with apparently no soul or life left behind your eyes and an unfathomable, unnerving death wish.”

Silence fell upon them, interrupted only by Boyd’s hissed _Andrew!_

“Fuck. You.” Managed Neil between greeted teeth.

“No thank you, I don’t do used goods.”

It felt odd, using those words, but Andrew knew how to hit where it would hurt the most. What happened next, Andrew registered in slow motion and would only realize later that it had been just a matter of seconds. Neil stood up straight, his eyes burning with the kind of rage he had shown only for Mary, and the entire room began to shake. The bed, the table, the chairs… everything left the floor and hovered in the air, trembling as the roof threatened to cave in. Andrew felt his eyes widen and instinctively reached for his gun, but before his fingers could close around the handle Neil’s body began flickering, literally flickering, just like the images on a television when the signal goes bad. Then, he disappeared completely for a total of half a second before reappearing in the room and collapsing on the floor.

 ***

“I swear to God, if he’s dead and it’s your fault I’m reporting you to Wymack.”

“He’s not dead. He’s breathing, see?”

Andrew took Boyd’s hand and dragged him over the bed where the Witch’s still form was resting, he pressed his partner’s hand on Neil’s chest and watched it rise and fall with every breath the boy took. It made his heart beat slower. He would never admit that. They had been waiting for hours, but Neil still hadn’t shown signs of consciousness. It didn’t bother him, he absolutely did not feel guilty. Andrew Minyard had a sharp tongue and knew even sharper words, he was violent and deadly collected, he was the best agent in his division and he refused to _feel_ over a stupid, blond Witch.

“What the hell just happened?” Wondered Boyd, hands in his hair where he was perched on the table in the kitchen, most of the furniture scattered around him. Andrew shrugged and was about to respond when a voice startled them both.

“I tried to run.”

Andrew turned abruptly and watched as Neil leaned against the door in a pair of briefs and a t-shirt that swallowed his frame. He looked incredibly small, almost fragile, Andrew hadn’t noticed it before. His eyes also looked very, very blue. When no one uttered a word, he continued.

“I tried to do the same thing I did last night: teleport. I thought if I wanted to escape I wouldn’t stand a chance against you two, so I used magic but teleporting is extremely… how can I say? Draining. It’s a very difficult spell that requires a lot of strength and energy, I don’t even know how I made it work with both of you last night.”

Suddenly Andrew could see the toll it must have taken on him, Neil was slouched, his skin was clammy and sickly pale, not that elegant, ivory color Andrew had noticed at first glance. His legs almost imperceptibly trembled.

“Is that why your eyes look different?” Asked Andrew and did not regret it one bit when Neil’s face paled even more.

“My- my what?”

He tried to rush to the bathroom, probably looking for a mirror, but moving seemed to be a bit too much, too soon and the boy stumbled and flopped on his ass.

“You shouldn’t have got up, you’re weak. Go back to bed.” Spoke up Boyd, his tone concerned and scarily fatherly. Andrew swallowed.

“How?”

Neil slowly turned his eyes to him, it took Andrew a moment to realize that question came from his own mouth.

“How what?” Asked the Witch, he was wary of Andrew now and it showed in the way he kept his arms crossed in front of his torso and his head tilted so that strands of blond hair shielded his eyes from Andrew’s dark, scrutinizing ones.

“How did you mange to do it with us last night?”

Because something was not right with this boy, there was something off that made Andrew’s stomach churn and twist uncomfortably. Neil openly, if cautiously, looked at him as if he could stare Andrew into revealing his thoughts. Then, he looked around the room, taking into the trashed furniture and Boyd’s kind eyes. He swallowed. When he spoke, he didn’t look at either of them.

“I am powerful.” Whispered Neil. “Very powerful.”

The agents let those words sink in for a minute, Neil still wouldn’t turn his eyes on them.

“Don’t be scared,” encouraged Boyd, slowly walking to him “it is not a crime to be a powerful Witch.”

When he reached him, Boyd put a hand on the Witch’s shoulder and missed the flinch that rattled Neil’s body. Andrew didn’t.

“I know you know we are FBI but we are not going to hurt you or arrest you or anything you’re thinking of just because you are magic. I told you, we’re the good guys.”

Neil, who had managed to get back on his feet, took a step back, letting Boyd’s hand fall in the space between them.

“Experience tells me you aren’t.”

The words came out strained and thick. Andrew felt something dangerously close to his heart clench. _He is not like you, he is not like you, he is not like you he is not like_ -

“Let’s make a deal.” Spoke up Andrew and something in his voice must have given him away because Neil finally looked at him, raw and yielding.

“You tell us everything about those man and Mary, and you do it in the city. In exchange be sure we will protect you from whatever you’re running from.”

Neil took another awful step back, eyes widening slightly.

“I won’t come to your office or whatever it is with all those pigs around.” Replied Neil, his voice taking an unfriendly quality. “And I’m not running. If I had been, I wouldn’t exactly look like this, would I?” He gestured to his body, the bruises and sharp bones seemingly glowing in the darkness of the room. There it was, though, the smart mouth and bittersweet smirk. The Neil that annoyed Andrew to no end.

“We will keep it down.” Butted in Boyd. “No office, just my place downtown and one of our colleagues.”

“It’s still no.”

“You don’t really have a choice.” Sighed Andrew. Neil glared at him and if looks could kill, the agent would doubtlessly be on the floor. “You are weak and I doubt you can make a lot of magic in this state, no matter how fucking powerful you think you are. Plus you said it yourself, you don’t stand a chance against us.”

Neil did not reply. He stood there with burning eyes and his jaw set, his hands clenched into fists and the promise of revenge on the point of his tongue.

 

VI

Exiting Madriver while being chased by a group of criminals –because Neil refused to call them anything else –was surprisingly easier than Andrew imagined. It was probably because Neil had managed to teleport them all to the southern area of the neighborhood, the closest to the Glass Bridge, but suspiciously enough there had been nobody waiting for them at the so called ‘border’. It was a relief as much as a warning. Andrew decided not to think about it for the time being, right now he was more preoccupied with manhandling an uncooperative blond Witch into the backseat of Kevin’s car.

“Let go of me. I said let go of me!”

“Shut up.” Hissed Andrew, trying and, to his dismay, failing to get Neil to move. How a little five feet kid who couldn’t weight more than a hundred thirty pounds could be so strong, he had no idea.

“Look who’s speaking! I’m five five, thank you very much, and you know nothing about me.”

Andrew hadn’t realized he’d spoken out loud. _Oh, well_.

“Just get into the goddamn car so we can get it over with.”

“Of course I will, it’s not like you are _forcing_ me to come with you. I will not oppose resistance _at all_.”

 _Sarcastic little shit_. Andrew was going to have his hands full with this one, so much for a being a meek, little thing who was being crushed under his sister’s foot.

“Get a move, Andrew, we are not exactly in the nicest part of town.” Sighed Kevin from his place at the driver seat. Talking him into this –whatever ‘this’ was –had been a real struggle, but Boyd had always known how to get under Kevin’s skin. No wonder he was his favorite, he was pretty much everyone’s favorite at the bureau but that was irrelevant. With a grunt, the agent managed to shove Neil in the backseat and uncover his gun, pointing it at the side of the Witch’s head.

“Something tells me you’ll stay still, now.”

 ***

When they finally reached Boyd’s apartment, the sun had started to rise. They had left for Madriver two days before, but it felt like no time had passed. _Shouldn’t it be the contrary?_ They settled in the living room with frozen pizza and beer, wary of the scowling Witch sitting on the sofa.

“Eat something,” Andrew found himself saying “or you’ll die of starvation before I get to kill you myself.”

Neil shot him a sarcastic smile e promptly let the slice of pizza on his plate fall to the floor. For all that Andrew was a stony, calm individual, he wasn’t sure his patience could survive this child.

“Jesus, how old are you? I don’t care, your loss.”

“I’m twenty-one, if that’s what you’re asking.”

From beside him, Boyd intervened.

“No need to lie. You can tell us you’re a minor, we’re not here to interrogate you about the –um, the hooker thing.”

Neil regarded him intently, his head tilted to the side in confusion.

“I’m not lying.”

“C’mon, you look sixteen tops.” Scoffed Andrew, earning a dirty look.

“Wanna see and ID? Oh, wait. I forgot, you took me away from my own home.”

It was going to be a long day, but they could not wash their hands off this. _Amnesia_ had been the catalyst of all their problems in the last few months: murders, suicides, trafficking and attempts at illegal exportation… all of it had rattled the bureau and now they finally had a lead, they were one step closer to ending it all. It was quite ironic that their fate was in the hands of a stubborn, child-Witch. Kevin still hadn’t uttered a word, maybe because he was intimidated by the ever-innocent-looking Neil. After all, it had been Kevin who had taken it upon himself to warn them about Madriver and its inhabitants, Andrew suspected that the agent might have had a few unpleasant experiences with magic but he was not going to ask.

“Okay, we believe you. Now we need to talk about those guys and what happened, though.” It was usually Andrew who did the talking, but apparently Boyd’s kindness and sunny aura seemed to work far better on Neil. “Plus, you should really eat something, you need your strength back after everything.”

Much to Andrew’s annoyance, at Boyd’s words Neil reluctantly picked another slice of pizza. Andrew was also pretty sure that the look the Witch gave him while biting into it was sixty percent spite, forty percent amusement. He rolled his eyes.

“You promised you would protect me, you can’t. This isn’t how deals work.”

“First of all,” started Andrew “I thought I did clarify you do not have much of a choice-”

“Wait until I get my powers back you stupi-“ Cut him off Neil, but the agent was quick to ignore him and raise his voice.

“Second of all, you have no idea what we are capable of. I said we would protect you because I know we can hold our own against people like you. Magic is powerful and it’s a threat, but we humans haven’t survived this long without knowing how to deal with it.”

“Are you implying I’m not human?” Spat Neil, oddly offended. Andrew was going to kill him.

“Of all the things I said, this is what you…” Trailed off the agent, scrubbing his face with his hands. “Okay let’s pretend you didn’t say that. Do you understand what I’m offering you? Hell, I could even put you into witness protection.”

Neil’s eyes widened at that, but it was not in surprise, nor admiration. They widened in fear.

“I am not going to spend the rest of my life here. I want to go back to Madriver.”

“People are looking for you there, people who want to kill you. You are a prostitute under the control of your family. How could you say that?” Wondered aloud Andrew, something about this kid gave him a migraine. Silence stretched, Neil was hesitating and something told Andrew he had hit a raw nerve.

“People like me are not welcome in your world.” Was all that he said in the end. Andrew could not deny that, it was true: humans were fine with travelling to Madriver for a night of pleasure and recklessness but God forbid that an ounce of magic made its way into the city. Well, Andrew had never claimed to understand them.

“Okay, then, no witness protection.” Granted Andrew, his annoyance not dimmed one bit.

“Look,” started Boyd “we have been waiting for a break through in this case for a long time. People are dying, Neil. My people, your people… it doesn’t matter.”

The Witch watched him intently, food long forgotten. The expression on his face was uncharacteristic and looked a lot like guilt, but Andrew didn’t trust first impressions anymore.

“We need any help we can get to take down _Amnesia_. Mary told us they’re currently in a stall, that they need to wait until the next full moon to start the new cycle of production, so this is the perfect time to act. You can help us.”

Neil was quiet for a bit, the silence heavy with tension. Then, he spoke.

“No.”

At that, Andrew felt something inside him snap.

“Are fucking serious?” His voice was calm and steady despite the nature of his words, he saw Kevin shiver anyway. He got on his feet and crossed the room to reach the Witch’s side, he made to grab him but refrained and closed his hands in fists instead. “You are all the same: selfish freaks. People are dying because you felt like mixing something of this and something of that and didn’t realize that whatever your concoction was, it had side fucking effects.”

Neil was looking at him wide-eyed, curled on the couch as if Andrew was a scary monster when the only monster in the room was _him_. Andrew knew he should compose himself but he was on a roll and the pain, the grief he had been feeling for months came crashing at him all at once.

“I don’t care about you, I don’t care if those people get to you and kill you, I don’t care if they take you back to your sister and make you sell your body again. The only thing I know is that I’ve already lost someone to _Amnesia_ , I’m not letting it happen again.”

His last words came out low and threatening, silence fell in the room. Boyd looked pained, Kevin disgustingly pitying and Neil… Neil looked shocked, and then pensive, and then unbelievably sad. And then, he looked at Andrew dead in the eyes and started talking.

*** 

It turned out that Mary wasn’t Neil’s sister, she was his mother. It was quite disturbing, since they looked pretty much the same age, but things were never what they seemed when magic was in the picture. Making Neil talk was like pulling one tooth after the other, and his information was vague at most. It was still more than they had ever collected in all the previous months, that didn’t make it less frustrating though. The fact that Neil kept on lying, be it directly or by omission, fuelled Andrew’s desire to choke him to death. He seemed to be the only one who had noticed what the Witch was doing, but that didn’t concern him much, he was already planning to have a little chat with Neil. In private.

“That’s it. Long story short, my family produces _Amnesia_ and there is no competition because of a secret ingredient that only they can acquire. They made enemies, that’s inevitable, and those people who came for my mother were part of a gang named the Ravens who’s had their eyes on _Amnesia_ for a long time.”

Kevin visibly flinched at that, but Andrew didn’t even spare him a glance. It wasn’t enough, not by a long shot, but it had taken so long to get even that bit of information out of Neil that Matt and Kevin decided to call it a day and work with what they had, Andrew did not agree. It was late afternoon but everyone was exhausted, especially Boyd after the days spent in Madriver and the impromptu interrogatory, so they all decided to rest for the evening. With only one bedroom and a stranger in the apartment, Andrew found himself on the balcony, smoking cigarette after cigarette in a vain attempt to make sense of what Neil had told them. What he did not expect, was the Witch opening the glass door once the sun had completely disappeared behind the tall buildings of the city. He seemed surprised to find Andrew there, but made his way over to the railing anyway.

“Trying to escape?”

“I’m not stupid, I didn’t think you’d leave me unmonitored.”

Silence fell between them, Neil approached him slowly but surely. He settled just beside Andrew and, in a swift movement, stole his cigarette. His bony fingers brought the stick to a pair of plump red lips and Andrew –Andrew had to fucking stop it, this witchy thing Neil was doing had started to get uncomfortable. Andrew’s control was slipping and if there was one thing Andrew Minyard did not lose, it was control.

“Buy your own cigarettes, Morgan le Fay.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Neil’s lips twitching and had to suppress the urge to wipe the smile off that beautiful –yes, _dammit_ , beautiful –face.

“I will, once you let me go. I promise.”

“I don’t trust a liar.”

At that, Neil turned to look at him with arched eyebrows and a frown on his face. How he managed to look so convincingly condescending, Andrew had no idea.

“I told you everything I know! Stop calling me that.”

“A liar, that’s what you are. Maybe you think the others are naïve enough to fall for your half-truths, but I know a rabbit when I see one. You’re running from something and that something is in the city, that’s why you want to go back to Madriver. The fact that you’re lying to me, when I am the only person who offered you protection and could probably bring you back safely, is beyond my comprehension.”

That was probably the most Andrew had ever talked when not overwhelmed by rage, it left his heart beating uncomfortably in his chest and his hands sweaty. Neil was still looking at him, but his expression was somber and almost uncharacteristically blank. The dead boy Andrew had met for the first time in Madriver had been replaced almost immediately by a fire-spitting dragon with a tongue too sharp for his own good, but now that spark, that fire, seemed to have disappeared all of the sudden, leaving smoke and ruins behind those icy eyes of his.

“You know nothing about me.”

“The fact alone that you called the Ravens a gang is pretty telling.”

Andrew watched Neil’s expression morph once again, and was surprised to find confusion and wariness etched in his features.

“I don’t know what kind of information it is that you have, but I didn’t lie to you.”

Andrew arched an eyebrow, Neil rolled his eyes.

“About that, at least.” He added.

Could it be possible that Neil really did not know the truth about the Ravens? The Witch was sharp and intelligent, there was no denying that, but it seemed like he’d also been living under his mother’s clutches his whole life. She was a constant in his story, _my mother this, my mother that…_ Maybe she had been trying to shelter him in some way, although Andrew could only despise lies disguised as protection.

“Kevin used to be one of them, before he came to us.”

Neil flinched at that, a brusque move backwards, as if instinct was pushing him to run from Andrew. He stayed silent, though. Andrew took it as his cue to continue.

“The Ravens are a specialized division, they operate in Madriver against magical crime. They’re also corrupted fucks.”

Neil shook his head vehemently.

“That’s not possible…”

Andrew sighed, his new me –adult-Andrew –had had a lot of practice dealing with his emotions. At twenty-five, after years of therapy, he’d learnt how to let himself be expressive, how to let people _see_ what he was feeling. He still wore a mask of apathy and tranquility most of the time, but sometimes, with the right person, he’d lower his walls. Just a little bit. The fact that Neil seemed to be one of those people was disturbing to say the least, but Andrew tented to trust his gut. After all, it was part of the job.

“They work for our boss’ boss, Ichirou Moriyama. His brother, Riko, is the captain of their division and Kevin used to be his partner but that little psycho couldn’t handle behind overshadowed by his talent, so oh so unfortunately Kevin broke his hand in a raid. Couldn’t shoot right for a year.”

Neil was openly staring at him, those big blue eyes wide and concerned. He shook his head. If he was hoping to activate the last operating cells in his brain, he was delusional. Andrew told him as much, but the Witch didn’t even spare him a glare.

“She always told me they worked for-“

Neil stopped himself short, something dark and unpleasant passing over his face before he realized he was about to say the truth for once in his miserable life. Andrew knew a lost battle when he saw one.

“One day, and believe me when I say that fucking day is tomorrow, you’re going to tell me the truth.”

“Maybe I want something in return.” Whispered Neil.

“I already offered you protection, it’s not my fault you won’t accept it.”

After that, they kept quiet for a bit, both staring at the skyline as smoke drifted between them. It was Neil who broke the silence.

“A truth for a truth, other than your protection of course. And I want you to take me back to Madriver.”

“You want, you want, you want. You want everything and I want nothing, how should we make that work?”

“You want the truth.”

“I want _nothing_.”

The Witch gave him a look, but behind the wall of skepticism there was understanding. Andrew’s heart skipped a bit, that shouldn’t have been possible.

“I’ll work with you, I’ll help you take down _Amnesia_ only because I want it gone as much as you do. You bring me back to Madriver safe and sound.”

It shouldn’t have been that easy, interrogating the Witch earlier had been a real struggle and watching him give up so easily now was startling. Andrew did not trust him, but something made him agree. That something was dangerous and that something had to be buried deep within his chest, under flesh and bone and muscle and blood.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone :) Before reading, beware that Drake is featured in this chapter and every warning that comes with him!

VII

Andrew managed to get a few hours of sleep after Boyd woke up and insisted he’d be fine watching over them alone, after all those years Andrew could do nothing but believe him. However, Boyd couldn’t have predicted what happened in the morning. To say Andrew was woken up rudely would be an understatement. He jolted awake at the sound of the front door slamming open and colliding with the wall, voices washed over him as he instantly got to his feet and made his way to the living room. The scene that greeted him was so surreal that he missed a beat trying to understand if it was still a dream, but Andrew didn’t dream. He remembered. The room was eerily quiet, frozen. Boyd stood in the middle, his posture defensive, ready to attack and Neil was somewhat hiding in one of the corners with a scrunched up face and intense eyes, Kevin not that far from him looking as if he’d just seen a ghost. The men floating in the air, completely still as if they’d been frozen on sight, inevitably caught Andrew’s attention first. There were four of them, dressed in black from head to toe, a stylized Raven sued in red into the tissue of their jacket, just over their bicep. Andrew repressed a groan. The men weren’t the problem, though, they’d been efficiently taken care of and something told him Neil was to blame. Or praise, Andrew guessed. No, the problem were the additional three people standing in the doorway.

“My, my, long time no see, Kevin.” Spoke up one of them, the tattoo on his cheekbone almost glinting in the pale morning light. The one on Kevin’s seemed to respond. That was Andrew’s cue.

“Shouldn’t you FBI people know where the line between knocking and trespassing is?”

Riko didn’t move his eyes from Kevin’s huddled figure, but the smile that spread on his face indicated he’d heard Andrew soundly.

“Shouldn’t _you_ FBI people know not to stick your nose into special division’s business?”

Boyd scoffed.

“We’re on an approved mission, if that’s what you’re implying.” Stated Andrew’s partner. “Wymack gave us the green light.”

Andrew stood silent, observing the room. Riko was flanked by a man and a woman, the former was tall, taller than Boyd, and the number three tattooed under his eye was telling enough. The woman, tough, Andrew did not recognize. He immediately noticed that her expression mirrored Neil’s, the narrowed eyes, the tense tendons on her neck... Something told Andrew that the Ravens fought fire with fire.

“If you haven’t noticed, we don’t work for your boss.” Intervened Moreau from beside Riko.

“Then what’s the problem? What the hell are you barging in my apartment for?”

At that, finally, Riko’s attention was diverted from Kevin and his eyes fell heavy and taunting on Andrew. He cocked his head, his mean, cold smile on display as he assessed him slowly. Then, he nodded to one corner of the room.

“ _That_ is what we’re here for.”

This time, Andrew didn’t suppress his sigh.

“Not yours, Riko. Go and play with your own toys.”

The Raven blatantly ignored him and began to make his way to Neil, who seemed not to notice anything that was happening around him, his eyes clouded and distant. Andrew didn’t let him, with a fluid motion he uncovered one of his knives and threw it flying an inch from his face, it ended up stuck on the wall behind him. Riko stopped.

“I told you already, not yours. Safe distance, like that.” Smiled Andrew, a bit crazy, just like when he was seventeen and high as a fucking kite. It made his stomach knot unpleasantly.

“We received orders from the bureau,” spoke up Moreau, “this one comes with us.”

And wasn’t that interesting, wondered Andrew, the Ravens stepping in on a mission where dear Kevin was concerned.

“Oh,” pouted Andrew, “you want to keep all the magic for yourselves. Let us have some fun, too, won’t you?”

“Maybe you should ask the Witch what’s best for him, right _Nathaniel_?”

As soon as Riko acknowledged him, Neil’s eyes snapped to him, no longer dead looking. The men in the room fell unceremoniously on the floor, groaning, but Andrew only had eyes for the Witch. _Nathaniel… Nathaniel, Nathaniel, Nathaniel_.

“He’s waiting for you,” continued Riko, “if you come with us he promises he’ll be careful.”

The woman, who no longer needed to oppose Neil’s magic, laughed out loud, cold and cruel. Neil’s head shot to her so fast that he might have pulled a muscle, horror slowly washed over his face. His lips were parted, but he didn’t utter a word.

“That’s right Junior, come with us or we’ll have to make you.”

The moment those words left her mouth, Andrew and Boyd exchanged a look. In a matter of seconds, Andrew was behind Riko, his second knife digging in his throat –just the right pressure to break the skin and let a small drop of blood line his skin –while Boyd held the Witch at gun point. Of course, the men that Neil had been controlling before, took out their guns and raised them at Andrew and his team. Nobody moved.

“Now, now, Riko.” Whispered Andrew, “Your men won’t shoot fast enough, you’ll end up with a severed carotid and you know it. Unless you fuck right off and go back to wherever it is that you’re from.”

Silence stretched, Andrew felt Riko swallow against his blade and pressed it even harder.

“Fine.” Croaked the man. “I said fine, we’ll leave.”

Riko motioned his men to lower their guns, Andrew nodded satisfied and let him go. After that, they left without a fuss, neat and obedient. Before stepping out, though, Riko turned to look directly at Neil.

“We’ll be back for you, Nathaniel, to drag you back where you belong.”

 

***

 

Neil had been oddly silent the whole ride, he didn’t say a word when they left Boyd’s apartment or when they parked the car and walked down the Glass Bridge. Not when they officially entered Madriver or when they finally made it to Neil’s house. Andrew wasn’t a talkative guy himself, but when not even Boyd’s attempt at conversation triggered a response, he realized that it was time to take the situation into his own hands. _Nathaniel_ , that’s what Riko had called the Witch. Andrew hadn’t missed the flinch that had run through Neil’s body at the mention of that name, he hadn’t missed the way his blue yes had widened in shock and fear. He already knew that the Witch was a trunk full of secrets, but this was a big one and no big secrets were kept from Andrew. He had promised to protect Neil and he was responsible for his team, in order to keep them all safe he needed to know the truth. If this meant having another round of their game with Neil (or should he call him Nathaniel?), then that was what he’d do as soon as the others fell asleep that night.

They reached Neil’s house at twilight, the deep red and soft pink of the sky contrasted with the electric blue spheres of light that illuminated what seemed to be the residential streets of Madriver. Although it was technically a neighborhood, Madriver could have easily been recognized as a small town: it was an island, the only way to be granted access was through the Glass Bridge which had been enchanted so as to stop the ‘not welcomed’. Needless to say, everyone was welcome in Madriver, it must have been a way to bring some sense of safety among the humans who ventured into the neighborhood for the first time all those decades ago. Madriver was a recent development, some kind of safe heaven created by Witches for Witches in the thirties, that had then welcomed with open arms every other supernatural being in need of shelter. The illegal contrabands and business had started much later, when city gangs got ahold of the Witch council and, God knows how, managed to blackmail them into submission. After all, when you’re afraid of something the only way to get past your fear is to control it. That had pretty much been the beginning of the end for Madriver, from a safe place for the different, it had turned into a lucrative business that exploited magic and human fascination. Andrew hated this place.

“We should all get some rest, I’d rather not get started with –with _this_ in the night. The worst of Madriver gets out after dark.”

It was the first thing Neil said after the Ravens had forced their way into Boyd’s apartment, his voice was rough from disuse. Andrew didn’t say anything, but the others did it for him. They all agreed to follow Neil’s advice, who could possibly know Madriver better than him?

“What is _this_ , exactly?” Asked Kevin, he was annoyed, Andrew could see it clearly on his face. Better than scared shitless, at least.

“I told you I’d help you take down _Amnesia_ and I mean it, what happened this morning doesn’t change that.”

_Oh._

“Aren’t you a loyal little rabbit?” Scoffed Andrew. Apparently, the only coward on his team was Kevin, then. It felt oddly satisfying, hearing those words from Neil. Disappointment was something Andrew specialized in –specialized in feeling, that is –and for once in his miserable life he’d managed to be pleasantly surprised and by a Witch of all people, go figure.

“I have my reasons, that doesn’t mean you three Musketeers get to hear them.”

Boyd laughed at that, they were trying to get Neil to talk and Boyd was laughing. Andrew decided he’d retire at thirty.

“As long as you tell us how you know Riko, we won’t press.”

Andrew couldn’t exactly blame Boyd for trying but if there was one thing he’d learnt about people like Neil, people like him, was that they wouldn’t do anything for free. That’s why he had already planned to have a chat with the Witch alone, where they could bargain a truth for a truth, Boyd’s attempt was just plain insignificant which was why Andrew didn’t even wait for Neil to come up with a stupid, sarcastic response and sent them all to rest, ignoring Boyd’s protests.

There was no flat roof to sit on at Neil’s, but there was some sort of yard with overgrown, dry grass and weed climbing up the outer walls. Andrew had unceremoniously dragged the Witch with him after Boyd and Kevin had given up on the argument and now they sat on the wooden steps before the front door, a cigarette between Andrew’s lips and one between Neil’s fingers.

“You are not like any other man I’ve ever met.” Spoke the Witch, breaking the quiet and the soft rustling of the wind.

“Didn’t they teach you that flattery gets you nowhere?”

Andrew kept his gaze on the road, but from the corner of his eye, he saw Neil roll his.

“It’s not flattery, it’s the truth. Now it’s my turn to ask.”

And wasn’t _that_ presumptuous?

“I’ve never asked you what you thought about me, I don’t particularly care either. It’s still my turn.”

The Witch didn’t miss a beat.

“Ask away, then.”

Andrew wanted to turn, he wanted to see the mirth in those cunning eyes and the scorn in the upturn of those full lips.

“I feel like it’s too easy.” He said, instead.

“And I don’t really feel like fighting you every step of the way, I figure I’ll owe you some answers in the long run, so better sooner rather than later.”

“I don’t care what Boyd says, I want to know what Riko has on you. What made you piss your pants this morning, little rabbit.”

He should have known that going straight for the jugular wouldn’t work on someone like Neil, someone who had been raised on lies if their encounter with Mary was anything to come by. Expecting honesty from people like Neil was a jump in the dark and, most times, a land on concrete. So, of course, he wasn’t expecting it when the Witch started talking. He wasn’t expecting the raw quality to his voice and the distant eyes, the way he trusted Andrew like _that_ after only a few days of knowing him.

“My mother and I haven’t always lived in Madriver, we used to live in the city, in this big house with a garden and hammock and –and my father. We ran away from him when I was ten, he liked to experiment with magic people, literally…he brought them to this lab in the basement and they never came out. When it became evident that I’d inherited my mother’s powers, she took me away and we spent a few years on the run before settling in Madriver.”

_He’s not like you, he’s not like you, he’s not like-_

“And Riko?”

Neil didn’t answer right away this time, he gave Andrew an odd look before lowering his gaze.

“I don’t know Riko, I only know that woman, that Witch with him is one of my father’s people.”

It wasn’t the entire truth, of this Andrew was sure, but it was something. It was more than they’d been able to get out of Neil in three days and if Andrew allowed himself a few moments to feel smug, no one had to know.

“Can I have my turn, now?” Insisted Neil, Andrew didn’t have the heart to tell him no (Andrew liked to think he didn’t have a heart at all, but something about Neil seemed to shatter all of his certainties). He nodded.

“What’s with the scars?”

Andrew recoiled, unintentionally and inevitably. It had been so long since he’d talked about this, the last time he and Bee had had a therapist-patient conversation was one year ago. Andrew knew he didn’t have to answer, he knew he had every right to stand up and walk away from this conversation and somehow he knew Neil would let him. Maybe that was why he stayed.

“How do you know about them?”

His armbands had been in place the whole time, the long sleeves of his sweater acted as an added barrier, the fact that Neil had managed to see them didn’t make sense. Maybe it was magic, after all. As if reading his mind, Neil smiled:

“It’s not exactly magic, if that’s what you’re thinking. When I teleported you to my place, your sleeves and armbands must have ridden up, it’s more than possible with all that fumbling and spiraling.”

_Well, then._

“These scars are how I survived.” Started Andrew. “I used to be a foster child, up until I discovered I had a brother and a cousin and moved in with them. Some people are lucky enough to find nice families and get adopted, eventually. I changed thirteen homes in fourteen years, I don’t exactly need to spell it out for you, do I?”

No, he didn’t. Neil understood and he did it with no trace of pity in his eyes, he did it looking at Andrew like the survivor he was –something that had taken him five years of therapy to admit.

“You know, despite the fact that you seem to think of me as a liar, I was telling the truth earlier. Trust me when I tell you you’re different, I know men.”

It was a poor attempt at changing topic, but Andrew let himself be swayed.

“Do you, now?”

The Witch nodded, a self-deprecating smile on his lips.

“I used to be very, very clueless when I was younger and still now… I-I find it hard to feel for someone. I guess it made it all worse when my mother started relying on me for some income.”

_Oh._

“What does this have to do with me?”

“You’re different, I told you. You’re infuriating and stony and you don’t waver, you’re strong and you make me want to trust you.”

This wasn’t okay. This wasn’t expected, this was-

“Dangerous, you are dangerous.”

Neil looked at him with those intelligent eyes of his, a bit surprised, a bit malicious.

“So are you.”

Andrew kissed him, then. It was fast and thoughtless and he’d never felt less like himself than he did now. Andrew asked, Andrew waited, Andrew never did things just because his gut told him to. He had a fucking brain, for Christ’s sake. Except. Except Neil kissed back, Neil was kissing back and his whole mouth, body, mind felt _on fire_. It was over as quickly as it had started and Neil was left hanging, eyes closed and lips parted and shiny and something dangerously close to a whine stuck in his throat. Andrew had to look away. He lit another cigarette. He shouldn’t have, damn it. He shouldn’t have, he should have refrained he should have asked he should have-

“You really are different. I’ve never… I’ve never been kissed like that.”

“With venom?” Snarled Andrew.

“With meaning.”

“We have to rest, too.”

“Andrew-“

But Andrew didn’t let him finish, he got on his feet and walked back into the house. He wouldn’t sleep that night, he knew it, but maybe some hours spent staring at the ceiling would help him think this through. They did say that night brings good counsel, right?

 

VIII

"What now?"

Neil was looking intently at the blank wall in front of them, as if he could stare it into opening in some witchy way. Andrew was very skeptical but he'd learned to roll with Neil's quirks, that didn't make the situation any less disastrous. He had bet on the Witch, he had accepted Neil's word and trusted that he would keep it, that he would be adamant about his promises as much as Andrew himself was. Now the Witch had what he wanted, he'd made it to Madriver safely even after their encounter with the Ravens and it was his turn to give them what they wanted. The floating lights illuminated Neil's concentrated face green and blue and purple, casting a shadow over his cheeks and making him look somewhat ghostly. Ghosts, that Andrew had to ask about.

"I can't do it." Concluded Neil after a few minutes of evaluating a damn blank wall.

Andrew was starting to feel murderous and something unpleasant, something that dangerously resembled disappointment settled in his stomach. A promise left unkept, he couldn't possibly forgive Neil for this. Not that he wanted to. Not at all. The night hadn’t brought one fucking, single council. Andrew had been up all night trying to make sense of that drop he’s felt in his gut when he’d smashed his lips of Neil’s. Needless to say, he hadn’t succeeded. The Witch had tried to bring up the topic in the morning, with careful eyes and gentle words and Andrew didn’t need to be fucking _coddled_. He’d rather ignore what had happened and go on with his life, ignoring Neil and pretending that the hurt expression on the Witch’s face didn’t make him feel dark and ugly and mean. Not guilty, though, never guilty.

"Didn't you say you were 'powerful, very powerful'?" Replied Andrew, annoyed, in a caricature imitation of the Witch himself, or maybe it was James Bond. Who knows.

Neil gave him a look that needed no words added, dirty and challenging.

"You really have no idea what you're getting yourself into, do you?"

"It seems to me that you were the one who wasn't aware of some _irrelevant_ details." Bit back Andrew.

He'd learned that if you wanted to stand a chance against this snarky, little Witch you had to fight fire with fire. Andrew had never been particularly sharp with his tongue (as far as speech was concerned, of course), he was more the quiet, intimidating type but Neil was a force of nature and you can't fight a hurricane with -actually, you can’t fight a hurricane at all.

"What I'm saying is that _Amnesia_ is extremely important, my mother hid the lab so well that not even _she_ could find it. That's why she put the location in my memory and deleted it from hers, people think I'm dead, no one will come looking for Neil Josten."

Of course things would get complicated, dealing with magic was never a straight and clear affair, Andrew should have known better than to accept this fucking case. Now, waiting for Neil to grant them access to the lab –the lab where the magic happened, pun intended –Andrew’s choice felt as regrettable as it felt reveling.

"What does that have to do with this?" Asked Kevin impatiently.

Neil turned to him and promptly rolled his eyes, then he turned back to Andrew. Of course.

"If she used every precaution in the book, she probably didn't enchant the entrance alone and to break a spell cast by two Witches, you need two Witches."

"Two? How do you know it's only two?" Wondered Boyd.

"My mother trusted no one except for my uncle, it must have been him."

The expression on Neil’s face seemed to give nothing away, but Andrew had mastered the art of reading people, it was a survival skill and God only knows surviving is what Andrew had been doing his whole life. So, when he looked at him, he realized Neil was more shaken than he let on. He hadn’t been expecting this, it was a stall and a change in plans and Andrew had come to understand that Neil didn’t like those. Changes. He’d never said it, but Andrew was certain they reminded him of his time on the run and, for the first time in hours, the agent felt the memory of their heart to heart on the porch settle inside him. Calm, trust, truth. Neil was going to be a problem, that was clear now more than ever and he could do nothing about it. _A lifetime spent diving in apathy and here comes a stupid, smart mouthed Witch and makes me feel again_. Nothing good would come out of this, but in the time being he’d indulge himself. Just a little bit, just because he was curious.

“There is someone I know of, who is powerful enough to help me break the spell.” Continued Neil, bringing Andrew back to reality. “But she’s... she’s dangerous.”

A chocked whimper came from Kevin’s mouth and Boyd swatted his shoulder, as if actually telling Kevin his fear was pathetic would make him act like less of a child.

“Explain yourself, we don’t have all day.”

Neil sighed and arched an eyebrow in Andrew’s direction.

“If you’d just waited five seconds I would have explained, but you’re so -so...”

“Impatient? Smart? About to kick your ass if you don’t get a move?”

“Irritating!”

It felt nice, leaving Neil as speechless as the Witch could get. Andrew really was learning how to handle that sharp tongue, the fact that he wanted to learn how to do other things with that sharp tongue was not something they had time to discuss now. Or ever, for what it mattered.

“Neil, can we get to the point please?” Asked Boyd, gentle.

Neil spared Andrew one last, dirty look before nodding and giving Boyd a small smile. _Huh_.

“Yes, sorry Matt.”

 _Huh_ , again. If Andrew didn’t know any better he’d say Neil had a thing for his partner, but Andrew did know better. The fact that Boyd seemed to have taken the Witch under his wing made things a little easier for Andrew, if there were two of them watching over Neil the chances of him failing his promise were slimmer. After all, Andrew did have a few other deals going on: the one with Kevin, protection in exchange for something he hadn’t been given yet, and another one with Boyd. The last one was unspoken, it wasn’t a real deal because they’d never really discussed it, but Boyd had been Andrew’s partner for seven years and, although he’d never admit it, he’d be damned if he let something happen to him.

“The thing is that Renee was known to deal with dark magic, she used to be a Dark Witch but then something happened and she just -stopped. She left her powers to rot somewhere inside her, no one knows if she’d be even able to ever use them again.”

“If she’s so complicated, why don’t we ask someone else? How about Selena Gomez?”

“Would you stop it with the Disney Channel references?” Spat Neil, exasperated. Andrew simply smirked.

“Anyway, to answer your stupid question: my mother was a Dark Witch, too, that’s why we need Renee.”

“Wait a moment,” intervened Boyd, all furrowed brows and confusion “aren’t you one, too? If she was a Dark Witch and you inherited her powers...”

“No, I- no. That’s not how it works.”

The stutter, Neil’s voice dropping so low it was almost a whisper… something was not right.

“Really? Because I’ve heard-“

“I said it’s not how it works. _I_ am the Witch, I’m the one who knows about this stuff.” Burst out Neil. A rabbit _and_ a liar, then, why wasn’t he surprised?

“So,” spoke up Andrew “where do we find this Renee Witch?”

 

***

 

It turned out that 'this Renee Witch' lived in a very fairytale-looking, happy ending, white fenced house a few blocks away from the infamous Inka’s bookshop. It meant that they had to pass by the building where Neil had been held captive on their way and it was more than probable that the place was being watched, they could be easily recognized and those people that Neil called ‘the Ravens’ would piss themselves at the chance of capturing them. The plan was Andrew’s, this time. Ignoring Neil’s incredulous look and his succeeded attempt at tripping him with the wave of a hand after he referred to ‘home’ as Neil’s prison, Andrew proposed to use the oldest trick in the book.

(“Should I offer a blowjob or full intercourse? Because I’m afraid that would take too long and-“

“Jesus Christ Neil, he means disguises!”)

The Witch made a quick work of changing their appearances, turning Boyd and Kevin in Shadows with black eyes and bright pink hair. When it came to Andrew’s turn, the look he shot Neil was enough to let him by with dark hair and an even darker skin tone. The only problem –because if things went smoothly, then it couldn’t be Andrew’s life –was that Neil could not enchant his own looks, that also explained why he hadn’t bothered to change his eyes back to brown since discovering they’d turned to their original color had almost given him a heart-attack. Luckily Inka from Inka’s bookshop, whose name wasn’t actually Inka, was a trusted friend of Neil and a Witch herself, _help is basically guaranteed Andrew_. And help was guaranteed indeed, it was guaranteed by a platinum blonde, five feet nine inches tall Witch. In the shop, she stood out startlingly. She was all hot pink dress, hot pink lipstick and stilettos so high Andrew wondered if it was actually possible to walk in them, or if she’d had a little magical help. Her hair was perfectly styled in a tight ponytail, not a single hair escaping, her brows and nails perfectly done. Andrew wasn’t blind, he could recognize an attractive woman even if he preferred the feeling of a toned chest and strong arms over soft breasts. This Witch looked like she came out straight from a runway.

“Neil! I’m so glad you’re okay, I heard about Mary only yesterday.”

She was engulfing Neil in a hug, but Andrew noticed his flinch anyway. The last days had been so erratic that Andrew hadn’t even spared a thought for what might have been of Mary, did they killer her? Did they leave her alive? The latter was a foolish hope, both Andrew and Neil knew that was not the case. What was left of Mary was a cold, dead body buried six feet under.

“I’m fine, but I need your help.” Neil’s words were muffled in the other Witch’s shoulder and Andrew felt a pang of _something_ stabbing his gut. It was irrational and Andrew knew better, but this thing that had happened –was happening –between him and Neil was starting to feel real in a way that made him want to throw up every wall he’d dismantled in the last five years. Snapping back to reality, Andrew noticed that Inka, or whatever the fuck her real name was, had finally let go of Neil and was looking at him, expectant.

“Tell me everything.”

While Neil proceeded to explain what they needed and why, Andrew took his time exploring the bookshop. He’d always been fond of reading, a habit he’d formed as a child in a vain attempt to escape a reality he dreaded and that had stuck with him all through his teenage years. Now, as an adult, he still enjoyed the feeling of thin, smooth paper sliding between his fingers and the uncanny smell of books, new and old. This bookshop was an ancient soul, it was undeniable. It was also very small in width, but three floors tall, with rickety stairs and dusty shelves. Hardcovers and paperbacks were lined in rows or piled in columns taller than Andrew himself –not that it took that much –so that it felt like walking through a maze, like touching the wrong book would tear the whole place down.

“Andrew! Where are you?”

“Waste Land!” He called back, but instead of climbing the stairs to the second floor, which admittedly wouldn’t have been a very good idea all things considered (and by all things he meant one thing only, his fear of heights), he made his way back to the team. He didn’t know when he’d started thinking of Neil as part of his team, sometimes his brain did things he wasn’t allowed to do. When Andrew turned the corner, Neil was back to his old, plain self with hair a dull brownish color and eyes an even duller shade. He was also distinctively paler.

“We’ve been looking for you,” started Kevin “where were you?”

“Just around the corner with some old British folk, in honour of our very own British Witch.”

“What? How did you…” Trailed off Neil.

“Last time I checked I did have ears,” then, closer, so that only Neil could hear him, “you slip up sometimes, better keep _that_ under control.”

“It’s not my fault, it’s my moth-“

“Hush, that’s a truth for another time.”

The exasperated sigh that left Neil’s lips had him feeling pretty proud of himself, it was usually the other way around, with Andrew almost tearing his hair off. _Oh well_ , he was a fast learner.

“I’ll just pretend I know what you’re talking about and that it’s not relevant to our investigation.”

“Shut up, Kevin.” Hissed Boyd.

“Yeah, shut up Kevin.” Snickered Inka-not-Inka, giving her Witch friend a blinding smile.

“We’re off, then. Thank you for everything, Allison.” Smiled back Neil, after reemerging from another hug. Boyd and Kevin said their goodbyes, Andrew nodded.

“Remember to tell Renee I sent you, it’ll make things easier!” Called Allison after them, her voice drowning behind the closed door.

As they walked past the warehouse in disguise without being recognized, a sense of palpable relief washed over the group. They had strategically split up so as to not draw the eye of the two Ravens perched on the roof of the building, Andrew and Neil leading the way.

“So, I suppose it’s my turn now.” Sighed Neil.

He still sounded like he was walking on eggshells around Andrew, like he’d given up after trying to bring up their kiss so many times already, except that he hadn’t given up at all. He was there, asking, waiting and Andrew hated it. He hated him so much, so of course he said:

“Yes.”

Neil didn’t miss a beat, the bomb was dropped in three, two, one-

“Why did you kiss me last night?”

Inhale, exhale, answer. No, not that easy at all. Why had Andrew kissed him indeed? He did know why, though. The thing was, Andrew never did something he didn’t want, but Andrew had it also deeply ingrained in his brain that wanting was not something he was allowed to do. _I want nothing_ , he’d said. And maybe that was the loophole: Neil was nothing, a boy with no mother and an erased past, the shadow of someone he used to be, someone who hadn’t gotten the chance to live and was now struggling to reemerge, to breathe into life with every day that Neil spent alone, in charge of himself. And Andrew wanted and hated that he wanted and that he felt and Andrew stopped dead in his tracks, turned to Neil and breathed:

“Yes or no?”

In front of him, Neil looked every inch the seventeen years old boy he was not, big eyes and parted lips and a soft ‘yes’ on the tip of his tongue. So, Andrew kissed him again and it felt just like it had before, hurried and harsh and intense. When they parted, Neil looked fucking dense. Andrew thought he’d like to see his face post-other things, if this was what he looked like after a simple kiss.

“Is this your answer?”

Andrew regarded him closely, their faces barely a few inches apart, their noses almost touching. Why couldn’t he _step back_?

“Maybe.” He said, then his grasp on reality went back steady and strong, he turned around and resumed walking.

“You know, that doesn’t count!” Exclaimed Neil after him, Andrew absolutely loathed that he could hear the smile in his voice. “You owe me one.”

Neil was next to him once again, breathless and so fucking _pretty_ , so of course he said:

“Yes.”

 

***

 

Renee Walker was one of a kind and she was someone Andrew understood so much as he didn’t. He caught a sniff of her darkness from the get go, something in her eyes, her gestures, her kind smile… his instinct knew, it simply knew she was hiding something. She was like him and, consequently, like Neil. It made something stir inside Andrew, something that wasn’t exactly kinship but resembled in more ways than one what he associated with Nicky and with –no, he wouldn’t go there. Renee Walker was almost as dangerous as Neil, however different the peril they represented might be, and at the same time she looked as if she wouldn’t hurt a fly. It was contradictory and unsettling, but Andrew didn’t have the time to dwell on it that much. They were running against the clock to stop _Amnesia_ , the next full moon would be in three days and they just _didn’t have time_. He’d promised, Andrew had promised, he had _sworn_ he would get his revenge. The only way to speed things up was to somehow blindly trust this dark Witch, even if letting her so close to his team made his hands twitch, his fingers itching for a knife. If she posed as a threat at whatever moment, Andrew figured he would deal with her. For now, they needed her and he sure as hell wouldn’t give up on the only occasion they had to enter the lab just because his gut told him to. He had a brain and he would use it.

“I don’t think I will be able to help you, Neil.” Admitted Renee after they had explained the situation She had greeted them warily when they’d reached her house, but she must have recognized Neil because next thing they knew, they were rushed inside with a warm cup of tea in one hand and buttery biscuits in the other. Andrew hadn’t even spared a glance to the tasteless, grass-filled concoction and stuffed his mouth with biscuits.

“Renee,” sighed Neil “you are our only hope. I know we’ve just met but this is a situation of the utmost importance, you’re the only Dark Witch in circulation who is powerful enough.”

Renee regarded him slowly, assessing, an odd look in her eyes. Then, she shook her head slightly.

“I know you, Neil Josten, every Witch knows of you and your gift. However, this doesn’t mean I can help you. I buried my power long ago and I did it for a reason, I’m not ready to risk resurfacing it again.”

Neil had some explanation to give, and Andrew was starting to regret not answering the Witch's question properly now that some 'gift' was revealed. As for Renee, Andrew knew a lost battle when he saw one, Neil apparently didn’t and, for once, Andrew was proved wrong.

“You said you know me, but I know your story, too. _Amnesia_ , though, _Amnesia_ is bigger than me, bigger than you… bigger than all of us. You renounced your power because you didn’t want to hurt anyone else, but you need to understand that by refusing to help us you’re hurting thousands of people: all those who will succumb to Amnesia, all those who already have.”

Andrew would say Neil sounded inspiring in that moment, if only Andrew was an inspirable person. The fire that Neil seemed to breathe laced those words with the tenacity and strength of a man who fought for what he believed in. Not once in his life had Andrew been so passionate about something. Maybe this one thing, this _Amnesia_ , had had him come closer than ever to a feeling of purpose, but it still wasn’t enough. Neil, though, Neil had a way with words that most would envy. With spite and forwardness, he sounded truer than anyone Andrew had ever met. It had an effect on Renee, too.

 

***

 

The door appeared on the wall after an entire hour of hushed spells, flowing hands and careful touches. The tongue of magic was one that not Andrew, nor any other human would ever be able to understand. It was ancient and elaborate, its structure resembled Latin enough that there was no doubt where it came from, however, the underlying click consonants betrayed a possible African origin as well. One thing was for sure, if Andrew had to spend another minute listening to Neil and Renee whisper it, he’d go insane. So, when the door appeared, he thanked a God he didn’t believe in and opened it ignoring the others’ protests.

The lab was enormous, an open space with a very low ceiling and three rows of tables in a horseshoe. The lights were neon, a shaky purple color that reflected directly on the main point of attraction of the room: there, right in the middle of the tables, a huge cauldron was floating in the air. Andrew stood still and let Neil and Renee explore the lab before letting himself have a look around. With the corner of his eye, he saw Boyd raise a hand to touch the cauldron.

“Matt!” Shouted Neil, Boyd’s arm froze in the air. “Do not touch _anything_.”

Andrew continued his inspection, the tables were covered in a thick, gelatinous patina, but one could clearly see the herbs and flowers that were secured underneath. The walls were obscured by innumerable papers and maps, sketches and words marked in bright red. When he neared it, Andrew realized the cauldron was engraved with runes that shone under the neon lights, more of a fact of science rather than magic. All in all, with the music from Madriver blocked by what Andrew presumed to be a soundproof spell and no colored spheres hovering and swaying like cheeky birds, the lab seemed to be a dark version of the neighborhood. Another side to Madriver.

“So what now?” Asked Kevin out of the blue.

Nobody answered, though. When Andrew sent a look Neil’s way, he found the Witch examining one particular part of the wall opposite to the door. He walked to him without hesitation, but Neil didn’t even register his presence, too fixated on the red scribbling on the wall.

“What is it?”

At the sound of Andrew’s voice, Neil jumped and recoiled, as if coming back form a trance. He turned to him with his big, blue eyes wide and a stricken expression on his face.

“Neil,” insisted Andrew, “what is it?”

“It’s a list… a list of the ingredients for Amnesia. I –I never thought I’d find it.” Explained Neil, shaking is head incredulously. Andrew felt his eyes narrow.

“Why?”

“Because of the secret ingredient.”

They kept quiet for a bit, but something wasn’t quite right. Neil was still staring at that piece of paper as if it were a monster, right until he snatched it off the wall and, with a snap of his fingers, burned it to ashes. Andrew was left speechless.

“What did you do that for?”

Neil turned to him with blank eyes and slack features. Nuh-uh, Andrew didn’t like this.

“Now nobody can find it.” Explained the Witch, simply as that. Andrew didn’t believe it for a second. He was about to tell Neil as much, when Renee’d voice echoed in the room.

“It’s brilliant.” She announced in awe.

“What?” Shouted Boyd from the other side of the lab. Andrew shot Neil a look, but the Witch was lost in though so he snapped his fingers in front of Neil’s face to get his attention. In some sort of unspoken decision, they had all slowly reunited in front of the cauldron. Andrew carefully wrapped a hand around Neil’s wrist and tugged.

“What is amazing?” Asked again Boyd.

“The fact that she put the location in your memory and wiped hers, the fact that the catalyst is a door… She was a very smart Witch, Neil.” Sighed Renee.

“I know.”

Andrew had enough of the secrecy and code language.

“I don’t understand a single thing you’re saying. What the hell is a catalyst? ”

Neil passed a hand through his hair and pinched the bridge of his nose, someone was a bit exasperated uh?

“What Renee means to say, is that if my mother chose to use a door as the only way in, then she considered the chance of closing it. For good.”

“Which means we need a key.” Finished Renee.

A key, a key that was meant to close the door to the lab for good. It couldn’t be so easy, could it? A simple key, no tricks or spells or potions. A key to fit into a lock, to turn and turn and _close_.

“So, where is it? I suppose your mother hid it and well.”

Neil kept staring at the door, it didn’t even seem like he’d acknowledged Boyd until a deep, tired sigh escaped his lips and he spoke:

“It’s not in this world at all. It’s in another dimension, another reality altogether. Think about sound: there are sounds that travel on different frequencies, frequencies that we can’t perceive. It doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

It didn’t make sense, but what even did make sense anymore? Dealing with magic had proved to be far harder than Andrew had imagined, or maybe it was dealing with Neil, full stop.

“Then what _is_ this dimension, how do we get there?”

 _Kevin_ , always eager to learn, the perfect student. Andrew felt like punching him in the face. The Witch didn’t answer right away, he shot a look at Renee and she responded with a wary nod.

“It’s the dimension of memory,” explained Neil, “it’s the past unraveling at the same time as the present, side by side. It’s the antithesis of _Amnesia_. The problem is that our memories are never perfectly clear, you are humans and I am, too, which means we remember things distantly. Imagine stepping into a world that is a blur of this and that, messy memories scattered around… how can you find what you’re looking for in a dimension that is purely chaos?”

“You can, if it’s my dimension.”

There was silence after Andrew spoke, and then the truth snapped back like a rubber band and everyone seemed to come to the same realization. Neil didn’t, though. Neil knew more about him than everyone else in the world, probably, but he didn’t know this.

“Oh God, it’s true!” Exclaimed Kevin. “It’s perfect. Andrew, with your memory we can make this work.”

Damn Kevin and his stupid thirst for success, a man so selfishly devoted was bound to fail at the hands of someone else. Andrew wanted to tell him no, just for the sake of it, just to see his expression fall. _That insufferable prick_. Then, he remembered _Amnesia_ , he remembered Aaron and his promise. He had to do this.

“Can someone tell me what this is about?”

Boyd and Kevin were too busy arguing, though, raising their voices and gesturing wildly. It was a shock, watching Boyd argue over Andrew of all things, over his safety, over how dangerous this was and how Andrew was one of them, not a mere pawn in this stupid game. It made his stomach clench and for once in his life, it wasn’t in displeasure. Then, Neil seemed to lose his patience and shut them all up. Literally. The men’s voices simply stopped, their mouths kept moving but no sound came out. It took them a few seconds to realize what Neil had done, but when they did Neil was ready to confront them. Damn this stubborn, tricky Witch and that stupid smirk. Andrew wanted to kiss it off of him.

“Good.” Started Neil. “Now that I have your attention, I’d like for someone to explain to me what the hell is happening. That’s if you want your words back, of course.”

They could only agree. Andrew felt oddly proud. And amused. And… aroused? Seeing Neil so confident and snarky did things to him, but he sure as fuck would never admit it.

“Andrew has an eidetic memory, it means he remembers things perfectly. Every. Single. Detail.” Explained Kevin once Neil did his _abracadabra_.

“It means that his could be the perfect dimension.” Continued Renee, but there was a frown on her face.

Neil was suddenly quiet, but Andrew knew he wasn’t considering the option like everyone else.

“Maybe it’s not a good idea, after all.” Whispered the Witch.

Everyone quieted at that, but this time Neil hadn’t cast any spell. Kevin turned to look at him with wide eyes and parted lips.

“What?”

When Neil didn’t respond, he went all out.

“You were the one to propose this! You said it’s the only way.”

“It seems to me,” interrupted Andrew “that I should be the one to decide, no? After all, it _is_ my memory we’re talking about.”

Neil shot him a look, concern transparent in his blue, blue eyes.

“You don’t understand. We can’t just go in, take what we need and go back. Even if your memory is perfect, we won’t be able to control which memory we’ll end up in. We’ll just have to wait until the right one, the one where the key is hidden.” He took a deep breath, his eyes bored into Andrew with such an intensity that the man felt on fire. “There is no privacy, Andrew.”

Neil knew about Andrew’s scars, Neil knew they were alike in more ways than one and Andrew had come to know Neil himself. He knew Neil would never allow this to happen, he also knew that Neil trusted him.

“Let’s do this.”

“Andrew-“

“Did I stutter? Let’s do this.”

 

IX

Neil was reluctant, now more than ever. He approached Andrew as one would a wild animal, then he knelt in front of him. He held out a hand and waited, but his eyes wouldn’t meet Andrew’s.

“Yes or no?”

Andrew took his time and spared a look to the others before answering. They were settled at the vertexes of an imaginary triangle, Andrew sat in the middle with Neil and blood all over his body. When the Witch had explained the necessary procedure, everyone had seemed to suddenly realize that this was real _, they were really doing it_. Kevin had looked dangerously close to throwing up once Neil had told them they’d need blood, and a lot of it. It hadn’t been difficult to find a place that could sell what they needed without asking too many questions, Madriver was overflowing with small, secretive business that relied on their discretion. Of course, they couldn’t buy everything in the same shop, apparently _every half-decent Witch would recognize a spell this powerful, Andrew!_ So they’d spent three whole hours following Neil around, while the Witch scrutinized and interrogated and negotiated. Then, they’d had to find the right location. It couldn’t be just good, it had to be perfect, or else things could go very, very wrong. The frown that had appeared on Neil’s face when Andrew had given his consent seemed to have no intention of smoothing. ‘Perfect location’ meant energy, and if Andrew had thought about ley lines and shit like that, he’d been proved tremendously wrong when Neil had lead them to a power station. Leave it to Witches to be so pragmatic while talking about alternate dimensions. The building seemed abandoned, it was all grey, brick walls and a flat ceiling, small windows and concrete floors. It was also completely empty, but Neil had assured them it powered the entirety of Madriver. Andrew had been instructed to strip but allowed to keep his briefs and armbands, then Neil had spilled an entire galloon of Shadow blood on him. The smell was overwhelming, strong and pungent. Andrew had gagged, but he’d managed to keep his composure, after all. Neil himself had taken off his clothes and let Renee draw some kind of runes on his back and torso, of course they’d had to use Andrew’s own blood to do that. The cut on his bicep had hurt more than he’d ever admit. Now, as he sat there, sticky and smelly, Andrew was starting to understand why Neil was so _not_ into this. Kevin, Boyd and Renee were connected by thin lines of salt, butterfly wings and, surprisingly, gasoline.

(When he’d asked Neil about it, the Witch had looked at him confused before saying:

“We’ve got to light them on fire in some way.”

Andrew had decided he did not want to know how Neil planned on restricting the flames.)

Finally, _finally_ Neil looked at him. The truth behind those eyes of his weighted on Andrew’s chest, the knowledge that Neil had trusted him with that piece of him, that part of his story, was exhilarating.

“Andrew, yes or no?”

Andrew let himself look at Neil –this sarcastic little Witch, this _boy_ –for a few moments longer. Then, he closed his eyes and said:

“Yes.”

When he opened them, he wasn’t in the power station anymore, but the others where right by his side. They were in some sort of corridor, except that it was impossible to see its end. It was dark, but at the same time Andrew could see everything perfectly, he could see Boyd frowning and Kevin imperceptibly scooting closer to him, Renee observing their surroundings, pensive, and Neil looking solely at him with his shockingly blue eyes and shockingly auburn hair. Wait.

“What’s with the hair?” Asked Kevin, apparently everyone had noticed then.

Neil turned to him, startled, and Andrew’s mind flashed to a trashed house and ice blue eyes. The reaction Kevin’s question got out of him was a terrified look and harsh breathing. His face paled. In a heartbeat, Andrew crossed the corridor to Neil and stood in front of him, blocking everything else behind his back. He brought a hand to Neil’s neck and squeezed. He was there, he wouldn’t let anything happen to Neil, what had him so scared was in the past. Neil closed his eyes and slumped a bit forward, as if Andrew was someone who’d hold him up no matter what (he was), slowly his breathing returned to normal. No one dared say a word and Kevin didn’t get his answer. Andrew knew that this revelation had been caused by a strain in his magic, Neil was keeping them all under the spell in a quiet display of powerfulness, but he had to pay the price and that meant giving up his enchanted appearance bit by bit. When he let go of Neil, Andrew realized that at his back there was a wall and on the wall there was a door, it was the only way to go since the corridor spread out in front of them was infinite.

“Go on, Andrew.” Encouraged him Renee, she was concerned about him and it was evident, but Andrew couldn’t care less. They had to do this, there was no going back now. He put his hand on the handle, ignored Kevin’s panicked _wait!_ and opened the door. He knew where they had ended up, that didn’t make it hurt any less. It was startling, seeing his own body in front of him. A spectator. The fact that there were two of him, though, seemed to shock everyone else. Objectively, Boyd and Kevin were aware of the fact that Andrew had a twin, but Aaron was supposed to be dead. It was one of the most recent memories he had of him, they were on the porch of the house in Columbia, Andrew was smoking and Aaron was staring at him. It was summer. The light filtering from the trees was golden and warm, their blond heads shone under it. They were speaking, Andrew could even remember what they were talking about. It was Aaron telling him he was about to move in with Katelyn and Andrew listening quietly and telling him he’d better call Nicky or he’d go mad. It was Andrew telling him he’d better call _him_ , even if he wasn’t, not really. They all realized that they could be seen and heard once Andrew wasn’t able to suppress a flinch when Aaron laid a hand on memory-Andrew’s shoulder.

“What the hell?” Exclaimed Aaron shooting up to his feet, memory-Andrew was not far behind him. It was a pang in his chest, it was his heart skipping more than a beat and his insides clenching so hard he thought he would throw up. Seeing Aaron had some arcane part of his soul reaching out, kicking and trashing and screaming, trying to touch and protect and touch and protect-

“This is interesting, by now a triplet is the only thing that’d make an unexpected plot twist.”

Memory-Andrew was staring at him, he could feel it, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off of Aaron.

“Andrew, it’s not here, we need to go.” Said Neil from behind him.

“And you are? What the hell is going on?” Insisted Aaron, he was wary, scared. Andrew ignored the both of them.

“Andrew-“

“Can you change it?” He burst out, his head snapped to Neil, his eyes questioned. Neil didn’t answer. “Can you _change it_?” Insisted Andrew, there was something hot and ugly just under his ribcage that was screaming at him to let it out, but Neil’s next words were enough to drown that fire before it had the chance to spark.

“No, that’s not how it works, the dimensions are not correlated.” Then, “I’m sorry.”

Neil knew, Andrew was so, so sure that he knew.

“We need to go.” Whispered Boyd, his eyes fixated somewhere behind the memory-twins, on another door that stood oddly in the middle of the street. They had to go. Andrew desperately wanted to shout a warning, to take Aaron by the shoulders and shake him, shake him and punch him and _hurt_ him because how could he have done _that_ to him? He could feel everybody’s eyes on him, it felt suffocating. They had to go. He nodded, slowly at first, then more surely. He let them all walk before him, observing quietly as Aaron and memory-Andrew struggled to make sense of what was happening. Then, he walked to Aaron himself. Just this, just a few more seconds. He would allow himself just a few more seconds and Aaron… Aaron was looking at him like Neil had done. Like he knew. Before turning back, before leaving him for good this time, Andrew raised a shaking hand in between them, palm in front of Aaron, and waited. It felt like hours had passed before Aaron hesitantly pressed his own palm to Andrew’s, his eyes clouded and –and sad. _He knew, he knew, he knew_. Then, Andrew let go. He spun around, and reached the others before opening the second door.

The second memory was further away in time, Andrew must have been five years old and he was staring at them as if he’d just seen a ghost.

“Oh my God.” Whispered Kevin, as if speaking too loud would startle the child. After Aaron the mood had darkened, they were quiet and wary, Andrew still felt like someone had ripped part of his body away from him. This, though, this was even worse and it needed Andrew’s full attention. So he let himself forget for a moment ( _ha, forget!_ ) about what had just happened and focused on the present, if it could even be called that. He couldn’t bring himself to speak, though. Neil did it for him.

“Hi there.” He said, crouching so he wouldn’t loom over baby-Andrew. God, it felt so stupid to call himself that.

“Who are you?” Asked baby-Andrew, he was clutching a dirty, torn teddy bear in his small hands and raised it to his chest when Neil spoke, as if it would protect him. It wouldn’t, Andrew already knew that. They were in a bedroom, it was almost empty if not for a bed and a desk. No wardrobe, no chair. Baby-Andrew’s clothes were scattered on the floor, but it was just a pair of jeans and a few t-shirts, he was wearing the only sweater he owned. Andrew remembered the cold, he remembered he hunger and the slaps. He couldn’t look at himself.

“We’re magic people and we come from the future.” Explained Neil, voice soft in a way that Andrew had never heard before. The child squinted up at him, obvious distrust on his features.

“Prove it.” He mumbled, his voice so small it could be barely heard. Andrew remembered being told to keep quiet, if he behaved and kept quiet he could have something for dinner. He remembered.

“Well,” smiled Neil, “I know your name is Andrew and that this is not your real family, I know you really like sweets and that you’re very smart. I know all of this because we’re friends, where I’m from.”

After that, Andrew had to turn around. He couldn’t watch baby-Andrew’s expression light up at the word ‘friends’, he couldn’t hear him ask if he was magic too, because, if so, he could teleport far, far away from here. He couldn’t watch Neil sweetly snap his fingers and repair his teddy bear.

“Look, as good as new.” He told baby-Andrew. When the child asked if they could take him with them, Andrew promptly crossed the room and opened the door to the third memory.

This, this one memory was all too familiar. It made Andrew nauseous, it made him shut down immediately. He wanted to get away. This had been a bad idea, a bad, bad, bad idea. He recognized the room instantly, the laptop on the desk, the soft rug and the poster _she_ had bought for him when she’d realized he liked Seventies music. The clothes on the chair, the books aligned neatly on the bookshelf. _Harry Potter_ on the nightstand, next to a glass of water and a lamp. The dark sheets, stained. The dent on the wall behind the bed.

“It’s here, I’m sure.” Said Neil. “We were close before, I could feel it, but it’s definitely here.”

“Then we need to find it.” Replied Boyd.

They were distant sounds, to Andrew. He couldn’t stop looking at the bed, at the speck of blood on the pillow that only he could see because he knew it was there. He couldn’t stop his mind from replaying those memories over and over, high speed. _Imagine the two of you in my bed, it’ll be picture perfect. Twins are every man’s fantasy, did you know that AJ?_

“What the fuck.”

Andrew turned around as soon as his brain registered that voice, he knew that voice. It was him. It was, what, thirteen years old him?

“Uhm, Andrew?”

Memory-Andrew hadn’t noticed him yet, too busy ogling Boyd and Kevin, but at Boyd’s words his head snapped to him so fast, Andrew was afraid he’d broken his neck. As soon as he saw him, the glass in memory-Andrew’s hand slipped from his fingers and crashed on the floor. Juice spilled over the parquet, dark as blood. This was different, five years old Andrew was too young to recognize him, but he and this Andrew already shared more than enough similarities for their encounter to take on a creepy turn.

“This is not possible.” Whispered memory-Andrew. It was more than probable that this Andrew didn’t know about Aaron, yet, or his first thought would have been of his twin brother. Instead, memory-Andrew looked like he’d just seen a ghost. Well, it was more like the other way around. Distractedly, Andrew noticed Neil had disappeared.

“Don’t do anything stupid, we’ll be gone before you know it.” Said Andrew, secretly surprised that he’d finally found his voice. Boyd and Kevin stood still as statues, silent. Memory-Andrew’s eyes were still wide as sauces.

“Are you –are you _me_?”

Andrew rolled his eyes, but before he could answer Boyd intervened.

“Yes, baby Andrew, I’m sorry to tell you that’s what you’ll look like in ten years. We come from the future, but we won’t bother you for long.”

“Ha. Thanks.” Replied Andrew, sarcastic, as he watched his past self give Boyd a murderous look at the mention of ‘baby Andrew’.

“This is fucked up, I’m hallucinating.”

“Think what you want.” Sighed Andrew, still wary of the boy standing in front of him.

Meeting memory-Andrew had somehow managed to move his focus from the room itself and all the memories that came with it, but it wasn’t long before he remembered that this boy probably hadn’t slept that night. This boy had scars under his sleeves and bruises under his clothes. This boy was hurting in more ways than once. This boy was him and he was this boy. The nausea started again and, this time, he almost gagged. Memory-Andrew was watching him intently, staring at him like some kind of freak and –and suddenly he seemed to realize that Andrew knew. That Andrew had been there before. His eyes turned hard, instead of vulnerable, his body closed off. Andrew didn’t have the time to say anything, though, because the steps of someone coming up the stairs resonated in the room. A warning, no, a threat. Then, he heard him.

“AJ, did you break another glass? Mom and dad aren’t home, I’m afraid it’s up to me to punish you, right?”

Memory-Andrew flinched. Hard. Andrew didn’t. Yes, it must have been the first months at the Spears’. When he entered the room, Drake looked exactly like Andrew remembered him. Tall, broad, shaved head and a smirk plastered on his face. When he entered the room, his eyes fell on memory-Andrew first thing first, predatory and hungry. Bile rose in Andrew’s throat. When Drake seemed to realize they weren’t alone in the room, his brows furrowed and his posture changed.

“What the fuck are you doing in my house?” He was already charging at Kevin when he spotted Andrew. He stopped himself short, Andrew couldn’t move. Drake looked at him for a long time, before something ugly and scary passed over his face. Andrew Minyard didn’t know scary, not anymore. He used to, though. Drake took a step towards him, then another. Andrew still couldn’t make his body react. Memory-Andrew was almost trembling. Before Drake could get any closer, though, Boyd grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back with force. He didn’t know, Andrew had never told anyone about Drake, but he must have sensed that something was very, very wrong wit this man.

“What the hell, man?” Exclaimed Drake, feigning offence and confusion. Andrew remembered him as a great actor.

“You back the fuck off.” Threatened Boyd.

If Andrew hadn’t been busy fighting a mental breakdown, he probably would have been offended by the situation. He wasn’t a damsel in distress, he didn’t need saving.

“Hey, I was just surprised.” He turned to memory-Andrew. “You never said you had a brother.”

The ugly smirk was back at full force, memory-Andrew’s face turned blank.

“He’s not my brother.”

“He’s not your bro-“

“We need to go, now.” Cut him off Andrew. He’d felt paralyzed, frozen, unable to think, but now he had snapped back to reality and he’d done it with the kind of urgency that makes everything blurry.

“Neil’s not back.” Argued Kevin, while Drake watched him with narrowed eyes.

“I said we need to go. We’re going.”

With that being said, he made to sidestep Boyd and Kevin and reach the door, but an arm shot in front of him. He stopped before even an inch of skin could touch his.

“I see you’ve been playing with magic AJ, whenever you’re from.”

Andrew didn’t look at him, his heart started beating faster. Neil had told him there would be no privacy, he’d told him they couldn’t choose which memories they’d land in. Still, the irony of the key being hidden right here did not fucking escape him.

“Did you come back because you missed me, mh?” Continued Drake.

This time, when he took a step forward, nobody stopped him. It felt suffocating, having him this close again. It felt like being trapped and restrained and Andrew _couldn’t move_.

“You missed our late night adventures, didn’t you?” Another step, his breath ghosted in Andrew’s ear. “You missed my cock.”

At that, chaos ensued.

“You fucking-“

Boyd couldn’t even finish his sentence before something collided with the side of Drake’s head, knocking him out cold on the floor. When Drake’s body collapsed, Neil’s slim figure was reveled behind him, a baseball bat in his hands.

“ _Now_ , we’re going,”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I know nothing about FBI and police! Please indulge me, for the sake of the story.


End file.
